EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — We said it was the FIFA World Cup of superstars, and it was. They all delivered: Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, Michael Olise, Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo (at least he did against Uzbekistan).
But in the way this sport likes to confound, it’s somewhat apt that the 2026 World Cup should go to Spain, the incarnate version what your little league coach meant when he said, “there is no ‘I’ in team.”
It’s not that Luis de la Fuente’s team do not have superstars. It’s just that they’re not built around them nor defined by them. Pedri and Lamine Yamal are among the very best in the world at what they do. Yet the former was dropped to the bench after the round of 16 and the latter played mostly as an orthodox grunt of a wide player, not the swashbuckling, give-him-the-ball-and-wait-for-something-to-happen superhero sans cape we see at Barcelona.
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It’s not entirely a function of de la Fuente’s team ethos — Yamal was recovering from an injury going into the tournament, Pedri had a valid alternative in Fabián Ruiz — but it’s notable how seamlessly everyone (reporters, camp and players) accepted this. De la Fuente might look like a substitute science teacher, but he commands respect and belief like few others. Partly because he achieved proof-of-concept in winning the UEFA European Championship two summers ago, partly for the decades-long work he put in at the Spanish FA with youth teams.
There’s something calm and blue collar about him and it’s reflected in his Spain team. Indeed, it’s staggering how many were coming off disappointing or injury-marred seasons.
Goalkeeper Unai Simón, who ended up conceding only once throughout the tournament, had a difficult campaign with Athletic Club, tumbling to the bottom half of the LaLiga table, as did his club teammate, center back Aymeric Laporte. Right back Pedro Porro was nearly relegated with Tottenham Hotspur, and left back Marc Cucurella’s Chelsea failed to qualify for Europe and went through three coaches in a single season.
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Rodri is a former Ballon d’Or winner but was injured or sub-par for much of Manchester City’s lackluster season. Ruiz was a UEFA Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain, but injuries limited him to only 13 league starts. Álex Baena was in and out of the starting lineup for Atlético Madrid, much like Dani Olmo at Barcelona, while Mikel Oyarzabal scored only nine goals from open play at center forward for a Real Sociedad side who finished midtable in Spain (though they did win the Copa del Rey).
Ask yourself which Spain player had a club season that was both injury-free and worth writing home about and you’ll come up with only one name: Pau Cubarsí.
But maybe all this was necessary. Maybe this is what de la Fuente seized upon to give Spain that extra gear in this tournament: hungry players, guys with something to prove, people with plenty of mental energy because most of them had been thinking about little other than the World Cup since March.
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The upshot was a perfectly drilled side, the epitome of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. And, here, without wishing to disrespect anyone, I’d invite the reader to compare this Spain starting XI with the one that won the 2010 World Cup. The one with Iker Casillas in goal, Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos at the back, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta in midfield, David Villa up front.
That was a star-studded team, filled with legends-to-be in their prime. To win, Spain’s 2026 edition had to benefit from the value-add of being a cohesive unit with a clear tactical vision. A multiplier effect, brought on by de la Fuente’s approach and the players’ unselfishness and willingness to execute.
The press-and-possession game he preached was a significant tweak on what he offered at Euro 2024, when he employed Yamal and Nico Williams as flying wingers ready to go north-south and stretch opponents at every opportunity. It was more of a variant on what we saw from Pep Guardiola’s early Barcelona sides. Keep the ball and make the opponent chase you: they’ll tire themselves out and lose their defensive shape. Attack the opponent immediately when you lose the ball: you’ll rattle them and have the opportunity to win turnovers high up the pitch. (Olmo offered a masterclass in both throughout the tournament and, in a fair world, would have won the Golden Ball that went to Rodri.)
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Simple, but effective. Mr. Miyagi would approve. Just as he would approve of the sense of calm that de la Fuente exudes and imbues in his players.
That calm is what got them through the hairier moments, like the scoreless draw with Cape Verde, or the street fight with Uruguay, or the threat of France’s star-studded front four. And, indeed, Sunday’s final too. Because Argentina didn’t hesitate to get physical early and often, with referee Slavko Vincic opting for the “let them play” approach that is very much in vogue these days. And yet, it was very much eyes-on-the-prize for Spain, perhaps inspired by Rodri, a player so unflappable you suspect he wouldn’t have reacted if Leandro Paredes had doused him in gasoline and lit a Zippo in his face.
Spain’s patience also helped them overcome their potential Achilles’ heel: questionable finishing and the lack of a proper center forward. The numbers bear this out. Throughout the World Cup, they created many more chances than they converted. When it came to being predatory in the area, Oyarzabal, talented as he might be, looked like what he is: a recycled winger who has been playing centrally for a little over a year. Great movement, tireless work ethic, unselfish to the max — but not someone with the sort of goal-scoring instincts honed over a lifetime in the penalty box.
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The water-tight defense, brilliantly marshalled by Cubarsí (who, lest we forget is the “other” 19-year-old on this team), kept Spain in games and enabled them not to panic. They finished the tournament conceding only one goal in eight games, setting a new standard of excellence.
You’re loathe to inject moral lessons in successful sports teams and for good reason. But Spain’s is too obvious to ignore. Before it was built on talent, this team’s success was built on teamwork and discipline, humility and know-how. And the magisterial calm and quiet bald, bespectacled, bearded charisma of de la Fuente.
